Issues

Budget

Balancing the budget needs to be done through a reduction in the size and scope of government. The average taxpayer already pays over 30% of their income in taxes ? more than food, housing and clothing combined.

We currently spend more on defense than the next ten countries combined. Eight of those countries are allies. We can no longer afford to provide the defense needs of other countries

Economy

The government is highly unlikely to spend economic stimulus money any better than individuals or corporations would. The government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers in the economy.

The recent cut in the corporate tax rate has not completely stabilized yet. Initial results appear to be positive but a period of stability is needed before looking at altering the corporate tax rates again.

Education

Under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, education is the responsibility of each state. This gives us 50 laboratories of democracy to discover the best methods and practices instead of locking us into one failed policy.

Our schools vary greatly across the nation. There is no one standard that is going to be the best solution in all cases.

Health Care

The Affordable Care Act was sold as a great scheme by which we would force young, healthy, mostly single people to buy health insurance they didn’t need and under the assumption that they wouldn’t use it in order to subsidize healthcare for others. It didn’t work.

The number of uninsured has only dropped by one-third and some of that drop can be attributed to lower unemployment and an improving economy.

Instead, we are now faced with a growing number of people who have coverage they can’t afford to use due to high deductibles and skyrocketing premiums.

Immigration

Having secure borders is a national security imperative. A wall is only one option. To focus on one proposal as the only solution is shortsighted.

Uprooting people who have built lives, families and businesses in our communities is not a wise solution. It is economically devastating especially to rural communities where immigration often accounts for any growth.

Our immigration system needs to reflect the realities of individuals who have been here for decades and offer them a path to legal status.

Defense and Security

Nuclear proliferation is a serious concern for everyone and I support efforts to limit and reduce the threat of nuclear weapons. However, the idea that we should bomb people because we are afraid they will bomb us only makes the pursuit of nuclear weapons more desirable for rouge nations.

The US presence in the Middle East has done nothing but destabilize the region, create new terrorist threats and spawn a regional refugee crisis. Rather than increase our intervention, we need to exit the region and put an end to intervention in other countries.

I am happy to answer your questions about any issue not highlighted here. Please use the contact us tab to send any questions you may have.